Frequently it is necessary to secure a vehicle onto the flat bed of a load carrying platform such as a railcar.
Previously, it has been known to secure a vehicle onto the load carrying platform by preventing the movement of the wheels through use of chocks which are placed at one or both ends of one or more tires of the vehicle. It has also been known to use a tire harness positioned over and around a portion of a tire in addition to the use of the chocks. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,668,140; 4,836,726; 4,875,813; 4,838,743; and, 5,316,421. These prior art systems, however, are expensive to manufacture, difficult to use, and, in some cases, require twists in the webbing of the securing harness, and are difficult to install. Furthermore, the prior art systems are subject to potential failure.
It is an object of the invention to provide a vehicle tire tie-down system and method which solves the problems present in the prior art, and including providing a system which is simple to manufacture, less expensive, convenient to install and use and which is strong and not subject to failure.
According to the method and system of the invention for tying a tire of a vehicle on a load carrying platform, the vehicle is placed on the platform. At least first and second integral winch and chock assemblies are aligned at both ends of the tire so that a chock surface abuts the tire at both ends thereof. Each of the winch and chock assemblies is locked to the platform to prevent both a lateral and a vertical movement of the assembly. The tire harness is connected to at least one of the winch and chock assemblies. A winding mandrel is rotated on at least one of the winch and chock assemblies so as to tighten the harness on the tire. In at least one of the preferred embodiments, a curved surface is provided as the chock surface. A winding mandrel is provided on each of the winch and chock assemblies so that the tire harness can be tightened at either or both of the winch and chock assemblies.
Additionally, in at least one of the preferred embodiments, two slots are provided in the winding mandrel for receiving a respective end of the tire harness.